justjohn 0 Posted December 12, 2010 setup vcl orbiter dome requiring 24v 1amp/heater 24v 500ma 45-50 ft of cat5e Power supply 24v 3amp I have used 1 pair for the power and bridged from the camera block connectors to the heater block connectors.(i do have 1 pair left spare, but i am not keen to hook-up/climb a ladder lol) i originally had this on 150ft of cat5e the camera worked fine but i think the heater was not kicking in(condensation appeared after 1 day). i have now change it to the setup above. Camera works fine on 50ft cable just waiting to see if heater kicks in... Should the above setup work??? How long does it take to clear condensation?(is that a chicken and eg question,lol) How does the heater kickin eg drop in temp or if there is condensation? eg is it possible that condensation is present but heater does not come on due to no drop in temp.? The camera was a pain to mount on the wall, nearly 3 floors high and had to use a big ladder. i am not too good with hights lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Soundy 1 Posted December 12, 2010 A single Cat5 pair is WAY too small to run PTZ over, let alone the heater. According to the calculator here: http://www.netkrom.com/voltage_loss_over_cat5_calculator.html at 150ft. and the full 1.5A, you're dropping 5.7V. Even at 50' and using 1A for JUST the camera, you're dropping 1.2V on a single pair. Using a second pair will cut the losses in half, but I'd still recommend using AT LEAST 18/2 for the power. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
justjohn 0 Posted December 12, 2010 i think it is now working 1 pair for heater and 1 pair for camera power. Thought there was a 10%+/- discrepency with voltage requirements on cameras? camera rotate/pan and tilt seem to work? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Soundy 1 Posted December 13, 2010 i think it is now working 1 pair for heater and 1 pair for camera power. You would be better to simply double-up the wires (example: I'll usually use the green/white-green pair for ground or neutral, and orange/white-orange for positive/hot). As it is, the camera pair has to carry 1A and the heater pair only 500mA, so the camera will see greater voltage drop; doubled up, each conductor effectively carries 750mA... plus the full capacity is available to the camera when the heater isn't on. Thought there was a 10%+/- discrepency with voltage requirements on cameras? That depends on the camera - some handle voltage variations better than others. camera rotate/pan and tilt seem to work? Sure, but if the voltage drop is near the limit of what the camera can handle, expect problems in less-than-ideal conditions. Pan, tilt and zoom operations all running simultaneously may be just enough draw to cause the camera to power-cycle. As the camera ages and the movement axes see more friction, the current demands could increase as well. Think of it as towing a 26' boat with a Kia - sure it will work, but expect to have issues real soon as you run everything right at the limit of its capability. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
justjohn 0 Posted December 13, 2010 i have it working on 1 pair for heater and one pair for camera power 24v 3a psu to camera power 50ft cat5e 1 pair 24v 1a to heater/blower over 1 pair the specs on the vcl orbiter are very flexable regarding power ratings. the problem i was having was due to a faulty fan on the blower. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
